Humour, Wit and Satire of the Seventeenth Century

Chatto and Windus, 1883, Good condition, binding fairly tight despite the free leaf of the back endpaper being ripped out, head and side edges rough cut, spine a little scuffed

John Ashton's chapbooks and collections of humorous tales were the most popular of their kind in the 19th-century. In fact, many of the low-society readers relied on chapbooks to learn of popular tales and legends. According to Letellier, Chapbooks were virtually the only reading matter for the poorer classes and provide for the modern reader a fascinating way into the heroes and legends, folklore and superstitions that prevailed in the popular literature of the age. This collection of tales and poems provides an in-depth look into humorous and satirical literature of the 1600s. Though, it is important to note that Ashton includes numerous chapbook-style illustrations throughout, in the style of 16th and 17th-century masters. Worth mentioning, the appendix is a collection of 17 folk-tunes, complete with music....